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by Emily

Waaaay Better Than Takeout: Sweet and Spicy Coconut Oil Stir Fry

I’ve written about my love for coconut oil before, especially for stir fries. Not only does it smell ridiculously amazing while you’re cooking with it, but it’s one of the only oils that’s truly stable enough to handle high-heat cooking (aka… stir fries, what up!) and its fats are more easily metabolized in the body, so it’s great for your heart! So let’s get cracking on this sooooo-much-better-than-takeout meal, shall we?

Tonight I got home from work and I was not. feelin’. it. I had a long weekend of partying at a music festival (I know, poor me) and the last thing I wanted to do was cook. I was fantasizing about some takeout, or at the very least a trip to the nearest Whole Foods salad bar. But my man Rob surprised me with a plethora of organic vegetables from his trip to the new Austin Trader Joe’s this afternoon, and if you know Trader Joe’s, you know that its produce doesn’t stay well for long. (Love you TJs, but it’s true!) The meal I whipped up for us was even better, and possibly quicker, than ordering from our nearest Chinese place. And it’s definitely healthier. All it took was a little bit of coconut oil, spices, and Chinese sauces (thick, sweet hoisin and oyster sauce, which doesn’t really taste like oysters but just adds a super salty depth of flavor).

Sweet & Spicy Coconut Oil Stir Fry

by Emily

Food Porn of the Day

Sliders aren’t bad for you, right? I mean, they’re teensy versions of sandwiches/burgers. Or, in this case, not-so-teensy. The good people at RIO Rooftop Bar in Austin took a giant chunk of white meat chicken, deep fried it, then stuck it on a fresh, ultra-buttery slider bun slathered with bacon jam and topped with roasted garlic aioli. They also stuck some arugula salad in there, but let’s be real. Fried chicken is clearly the star of the show here.

I couldn’t even open my jaw wide enough to get everything in one bite. But they called it a slider on their menu, so that’s the story and I’m stickin’ to it! I mean, this isn’t a fullsize sandwich, so it’s basically health food.

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by Emily

Comfort Food Extravaganza: Cauliflower-Pumpkin-Ricotta Gratin

It’s that time of year again…daylight savings is totally messing with my body and making me crave warm, rich comfort food as soon as I drag my sorry butt home from work. I can’t help it, when it gets dark outside at five pm I just go into hibernation mode, aka sweatpants and cheesy food in front of the TV mode. Fortunately I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve when it comes to fall and winter comfort foods so I don’t actually pack on as much weight as a slumbering bear.

For example, cauliflower! It’s such a versatile vegetable. Use it in place of white, starchy carbs like pasta or potatoes and you have a super indulgent and cozy yet much healthier meal. When I was grocery shopping at Central Market last weekend I found some beautiful orange cauliflower on sale (the color is so fun! And it means that the cauliflower is especially high in beta-carotene, the same reasons carrots have that great orange color). I knew I had to do something with it…then orange made me think of pumpkin…I still had some pumpkin puree and ricotta left over from the pumpkin lasagna I made last week… BAM. This recipe was born. It’s way quicker and easier to make than your traditional gratin (which are traditionally creamy dishes topped with browned cheese), not to mention way healthier. And it’s totally creamy and satisfying! You won’t regret this one.

Cauliflower-Pumpkin-Ricotta Gratin

in Cheese / Recipe / Veggie 2 comments

by Emily

La Dolce Vita Food and Wine Festival

It’s common knowledge that Austin’s culinary scene has been blowin’ up. We have Top Chef Texas winner Paul Qui and his Asian fusion empire, Austin Food & Wine Festival, and the flagship Whole Foods. Not to mention the wonderful restaurants constantly cropping up, and all the famous barbecue.

And of course… LA DOLCE VITA. I’ve always wanted to attend La Dolce Vita since I moved to Austin and first heard about this glorious event. The magnificent Laguna Gloria, an absolutely beautiful outdoor venue, is swarmed by over 50 of the hottest Texas restaurants and wineries, and attendees are tasked with the stressful chore of tasting everything. And by “stressful” I clearly mean “AMAZING.”

Whoever said the best things in life are for free has obviously never attended a high-end culinary event, because tickets to La Dolce Vita will set you back $150 (or $200 for a VIP ticket including access to an exclusive cocktail lounge) but it’s worth it if you want to sample the cooking of some of the region’s best chefs. If you, unlike me, don’t like throwing large sums of money at indulgent dining opportunities, you’ll be happy to know that the ticket price also goes to support the arts—all proceeds go to The Contemporary‘s educational programs.

By the end of the event, I was Thanksgiving-level full. (And we all know I can EAT on Thanksgiving.) Seriously, I just kept stuffing myself until it was over. I felt like I was walking through one of those big, elegant Top Chef elimination events where all the cheftestants are vying for best dish and shoving beautiful plates of food at the judges. Just call me Padma!

Read on for some photo highlights of my oh-so-delicious evening:

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by Emily

Chipotle Almond Kettle Corn

Only a couple days left until the ultimate sugarfest known as Halloween. If you get sick of noshing on mini chocolate bars and candy apples (do people still make/eat candy apples on Halloween anymore?) why not make a homemade snack that’s not only sweet, but also salty and spicy? Win-win-win if you ask me.

I got a pack of chipotle maple almonds from Naturebox and while they suggested mixing the nuts in a homemade popcorn, their delightful flavor combo inspired me to throw together this special chipotle kettle corn. As we all know, I love chipotle. A lot. It’s kind of weird. Anyway:

Chipotle Almond Kettle Corn

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by Emily

Cocktail O’ Clock: The Violet Crown

While this cocktail may seem a bit more at home at a springtime garden party than a cozy fall evening, I can’t wait until next spring to share this recipe! It’s too good. First of all, starting with a premium gin base like this Boodles British Gin ensures a satisfying libation. (I can handle my share of cheap alcohol, but I just can’t do cheap gin. It has to be the good stuff. Boodles sent me a bottle to try and I knew I had to do it justice with a sophisticated cocktail recipe.) Secondly, the addition of Creme Yvette adds a refreshing and unique twist. If you’re not familiar with Creme Yvette I won’t hold it against you; it’s a relatively obscure, older liqueur that was just rereleased on the market a few years ago. It’s made from (…deep breath…) parma violet petals, blackberries, red raspberries, wild strawberries and cassis, honey, orange peel and vanilla. What do you get when you combine these two boozy delights? HEAVEN!

I named this cocktail the Violet Crown because Creme Yvette is a purple-y (well, violet, obviously) color, and I live in Austin, a city that happens to have the nickname of “The Violet Crown.” So… why not?

Violet Crown Cocktail

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by Emily

Cocktail O’ Clock: Pumpkin Spice Cake Martini

I’ll admit it: I love cake vodka! Especially Three Olives Cake Vodka, because it seriously tastes like delicious vanilla cake mix batter. Then again, as a kid I would eat raw cake batter by the spoonful, so I’m not sure what this all says about me. I’m also one of those obnoxious people who unabashedly loves fall flavors, especially anything pumpkin spice related. Since everyone is going crazy for pumpkin spice lattes once again, I figured, let’s improve this autumn trend by spiking it! Thus the Pumpkin Spice Cake Martini is born.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Martini

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